Refrigeration



May 19, 1936.

W. H. CARRIER ET AL REFRIGERATION Filed Oct. 2'7, 1933 INVENTOR. (192111.911. Garner 1? Robert (0. waterf'lll ATTORNEY Patented May 19, 1936 PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATION Willis H. Carrier,

mesne assignments,

Corporation, Newark, N. J.,

New York Elizabeth, and Robert W. Wateriill, East Orange, N.

J.," assignors, y to Carrier Engineering a corporation of Application October 27, 1933, Serial No. 695,394

3 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerants, and

more particularly to a process in which a re-- frigerant is used in combination with a centrifugal compressor for absorbing and dissipating heat 5 at widely differing temperatures.

The invention, generally, relates to the practical employment of a substance in a centrifugal refrigerating machine, whereby great advantage in efficient production of refrigerating effect is 0 achieved over that now attainable with known refrigerants.

Many substances, such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, carbon tetrachloride, sulphur dioxide, and

others, have for many years been known and used as refrigerants. All of them, however, have ob- .jectionable properties which make their use in refrigeration often undesirable. Because of their toxic, combustible and explosive characteristics, their use, for example, in fields of air condi-tioning for human comfort is fraught with danger. Furthermore, their physical and chemical properties mitigate against their efllcient and economical use in many instances where refrigeration is required. Thus, ammonia; may be used only at relatively high pressures, requiring cumbersome compressors, piping, etc.; and its corrosive tendencies and toxic properties make it highly undesirable for use in air conditioning work. Similarly, carbon dioxide, although safer 80 than ammonia, develops exceedingly high pressures. Similar disadvantages mitigate against the use of sulphur dioxide and carbon tetrachloride. In other words, refrigerants such as these, long known in the refrigeration field, have 35 physical and chemical properties which make them undesirable in certain types of work because of their dangerous characteristics, or because they'are only suited for use in certain types commercial refrigeration. The patents referredto, of coapplicant Carrier, cover his practical development and employment in the field of cen- 55 trifugal refrigeration of the refrigerants dichloroethylene and dichloromethane, called respectively Dielene and Carrene in the commercial refrigeration world. These refrigerants have for some years been successfully used with centrifugal compressors.

The present invention provides a refrigerant which has the advantages of Dielene and Carrene but provides for more efficient and economical operation over a wider range of temperatures. Its physical and chemical properties enable its use with a centrifugal compressor which is relatively smaller in size, more compactjand contains fewer stages, yet produces equal or greater refrigerating effect than is obtained with Dielene or Carrene. This new refrigerant is trichlorofluoromethane (CFCla) When used in substantially a chemically pure state, it is inert to the materials of the refrigerating system. One of its great advantages resides in its high vapor density at relatively low operating pressures. Thus, to produce a desired refrigerating effect, the compressor may be much smallenand have fewer stages than that required for use with former known refrigerants. It is non-combustible, both in vaporous and liquid state and is nonexplosive in any mixture with air- At normal atmospheric temperature (72 F.) and pressure barometer), it remains in liquid form. Its characteristics enable it to be used in a centrifugal machine over a wide range of temperatures. While, with Carrene, for example, the temperature in the evaporator rarely exceeds 60 degrees F. below that of the temperature of the condenser water employed, with trichlorofluoromethane, it is possible to obtain temperatures 120 degrees less than that of the condenser water with a compressor having the same number of stages operated at the same speeds. Thus, with this new refrigerant, the range of temperatures may extend, for purposes of illustration, from minus 25 degrees to 95 degrees, and temperatures below minus 25 degrees F. may be attained, depending upon the temperature of condenser water employed for carrying out the refrigeration cycle.

Trichlorofluoromethane is nearly four and a half times as heavy as air under like temperature and pressure conditions, and because of its large volume and high specific weight, is mechanically well adapted for use in a centrifugal compressor. Because of its advantages in physical and chemical characteristics over present 'refriger ants, it can accomplish with a fewer number of stages, and in a smaller compact compressor of good mechanical proportions, the equivalent in 'tained therein, thereby "cooling it. Centrifugalrefrigerating effect which heretofore required larger machines and a greater number of stages of compression.

In practical use, with a centrifugal compressor, the'pressure in the evaporator is below atmospheric pressure, while the pressure in the-condenser will be substantially at atmospheric pressure, and hence, the pressure differences in the system, for example that shown inthe accom- D nying drawing. are low.

Considering the drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of a refrigerating device adapted to carry out a refrigerating process employing applicants new chemical compound, and

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of the evaporator of Fig. 1, showing the refrigerant circulating system.

Numeral 5 designates an evaporator coniprisin a shell 6, the lower part of which .forms a reservoir for refrigerant I- and a series of tubes l passing through shell 8. Heads 9, on the ends of shell 8, form suitable manifolds for the distribution of a fluid such as water or brine to the interior of tubes 8. Pump I is adapted to withdraw refrigerant from the base of shell 6 and to spray the liquid over the surfaces of tubes i. The refrigerant, in passing over the tubes, absorbs heat from the water or other medium concompressor I I is adapted to withdraw the resulting vapor from the evaporator to compress it and discharge the compressed vapor into condenser l2, wherein it is liquefied and then returned to w the base of shell 6. Condenser I2 maybe of any desired construction, although a shell and tube condenser, similar in construction to the above described evaporator, is preferred. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the compressor and motor are totally enclosed; and the motor is cooled by the circulation of a portion of the refrigerant vapors through and in contact with the motor windings. To this end, a portion of the compressed gas is discharged through conduit ll into a gas cooler I l, of desired construction, the gas, for example, flowing on the outside of the tubes within the cooler, while a cooling liquid flows through the tubes. The cooled gas from H is discharged into motor casing l5, where it contacts and cools the armature l1 and windings II. A conduit l9 conveys the warm gas into condenser l2, wherein it is condensed and from which it may be returned to the evaporator for use in the refrigerant cycle. The vapors from compressor H which do not pass to cooler I, enter condenser I! through conduit l6, and, after liquefaction, are returned to the evaporator, again to be used in the refrigeration cycle.

Due to its great density,trichlorofluoromethane is peculiarly adapted for use in an arrangement such as is illustrated in Fig. 1, since but a relatively small volume of the gas, as compared with the volume of air or other gas, is required to efiect the necessary cooling of the motor.

For the purpose of removing air and other .er than atmospheric.

non-condenslble gases from a system of the character described, some type of purge is employed. When the refrigerant employed (Carrene or Dielene, for example) is condensed at les than atmospheric pressure, it is necessary to supply a pump for increasing this pressure to a point above atmospheric. With dichlorofluoromethane, however, the condensing pressure is slightly great- Therefore, when this refrigerant is used, a pump-type purge may be dispensed with, and in its place, a simple, inexpensive pressure purge substituted. Thus, substantially all of the advantages accruing from the use of sub-atmospheric pressures are obtained, whereas some of the difficulties heretofore encounted with prior known refrigerants, are obviated.

Applicants have discovered and adapted for practical use a chemical whose characteristics, including high specific density, large specific gas volume low pressure differences, low vapor pressures, non-inflammability, non-toxicity, and chemical inactivity, among others, clearly indicate that it is a superior refrigerant. Its properties, en-

abling emcient and economical use with centrifcause evaporation of the trichlorofluoromethane and compressing the resultant vapors by centrifugal movement thereof at a speed sufllcient to enable the vapors to be condensed at a temperature as great as 120 above the temperature of the film on the evaporating surfaces but at a pressure not materially greater than one atmosphere.

' 2. A process of refrigeration which comprises circulating trichlorofluoromethane as a film over evaporating surfaces in'quantities greater than can be evaporated on said surfaces, causing evaporation of said film at a pressure less than one atmosphere and at a temperature ranging from F. to -30 F., and condensing and returning to circulation the evaporated trichlorofluoromethane vapors.

3. Aprocessof refrigeration whichcomprises circulating trichlorofluoromethane through an evaporator over evaporating surfaces therein, creating a partial vacuum within said evaporator to cause evaporation of the tricholorofluoromethane, centrifugaliy compressing and then condensing the evaporated trichlorofluoromethane and returning to circulation the resultant condensate, the difference between the pressures at the points of evaporation and condensation not exceeding twenty pounds.

WILLIS H. CARRIER. ROBERT W. WATERFILL. 

